It felt like I was going fast, as I hit the back stretch at Talladega Superspeedway. I felt like the infamous Ricky Bobby as I sling shotted past the car in front of me to take the lead. As it turns out, I WAS doing 180 MPH when I made my move. It was the fastest speed that I had ever gone in my lifetime. I had raced at other fast tracks before including Daytona and Indianapolis, but I had not been able to achieve that type of speed before.
 
Racing on NASCAR tracks has been a hobby of mine for the last 12 years. I have raced all over the country on 23, different tracks and some tracks more than once. After racing in Kansas about 5 years ago, I was asked to be an instructor at Daytona. I didn’t accept the offer because selfishly I’d rather go fast myself than teach someone else how to.
 
I have done a lot of adventurous things before, but the level of adrenaline that I get when I am behind the wheel of one of these stock cars is mind numbing. I absolutely love it. I love the power, the smells, the sounds, the speed and most of all the risk that comes with racing.
 
Painting is the polar opposite for me. It relaxes me, it relieves stress and it is cerebral. Both serve great purposes in my life, even though they couldn’t be more different
 
Some of my work is reflective of the two.  Maybe you can find examples of the two extremes for yourself in some of my paintings.

Wish me luck, as I will be racing in Miami tomorrow.
 
Have a great week!
 
Garry